SNAPSHOT

BEER REVIEW: 455

BREWER: Duration, Norfolk, England

STYLE: Session IPA

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 26th June 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Other than the non-descript nose there are no real negatives to Snapshot. This does mean I’m unable to use the ‘let’s pour some solution on these negatives to find out what’s really going on’ line that I had floating in my head pre test. (in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve used it anyway).

Though there are no real negs here that does not ultimately make Snapshot a banger, because it ain’t. But it is a good solid easy drinker which ultimately would have been Durations goal, as it would be for any brewer of a session IPA I suppose… maybe… I could go on for hours about this!

Snapshot brings notes of orange and apricot in the sip backed up by a great mouthfeel. The backend could be more bitter for sure which would help Snapshot along a little.

But in saying that, deep into the beer the aftertaste suddenly presented a delicate pepper spice! Which turned my head, raised my eyebrow and ultimately ended up in me awarding this brew 2 bonus points! What drama!

Worth a go faw shawa, but not a must buy n try.

Jymi’s Rating: 67%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

With Snapshot, the whole experience felt like lining up the perfect shot. You know the one. You’ve found the right light, the right angle, the right moment. The packaging alone set the tone, a retro little number that practically begged to be photographed. It had that curated charm, the kind of design that makes you think this beer knows exactly what it’s doing. A confident subject, framed well, colours balanced, nothing out of place. You almost expect it to wink at the camera.

Then the nose drifted in like the first hint of a scene coming into focus. Mango. Straightforward, tropical, clean. No dramatic lens flare, no unexpected shadows, just a clear signal of what’s to come. It didn’t try to be clever, but it didn’t need to. Sometimes a simple composition is the strongest one.

The taste followed through with the same quiet competence. Lots of mango, soft and pleasant, like a well exposed shot where everything lands exactly where it should. No over sharpening, no blown highlights, no attempt to be avant garde. Just a beer doing the job it set out to do, and doing it well. At 4.5 percent, it somehow packs more flavour than some beers that swagger around with twice the strength. A compact lens with surprising range.

The mouthfeel rounded it out with a smoothness that made the whole thing feel intentional, like a photographer who knows when to stop fiddling with settings and just press the shutter. Nothing harsh, nothing jarring, nothing that pulls you out of the moment. You drink it and think, yes, this is exactly the picture it wanted to take.

And the moral of this photographic beer tale? Sometimes the best shots aren’t the ones you agonise over. Sometimes they’re the ones that simply work. Snapshot is that shot. Straight, clean, confident. A reminder that not every frame needs drama to be worth keeping.

Sammy’s Rating: 75%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 71%

MOB review next weekend: KELLER PILS by LOST AND GROUNDED

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

HPA

BEER REVIEW: 454

BREWER: Wye Valley Brewery, Herefordshire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 19th June 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

The tale begins, as these tales often do, with hope. I stood before the glass like someone about to open a long awaited letter, convinced that what lay inside would justify all the anticipation I had allowed to build. The liquid settled into the glass with the bright, harmless look of a lager, pale and unassuming, nothing like the deeper glow you expect from a pale ale. Still, I told myself not to judge too soon. Stories turn slowly. Some heroes take time to reveal themselves.

Then came the nose. Or rather, the absence of one. A faint gesture toward something between a lager and a traditional ale, but nothing that stepped forward with conviction. It was like waiting for a character to deliver a grand monologue only to realise they have forgotten their lines. I searched for depth, for intrigue, for anything that hinted at the promise I had been sold. Instead, I found a small hint of lemon and not much else.

The first sip sealed the fate of the story. Watery. Thin. A beer that seemed to apologise for existing even as it touched the tongue. It carried the weak, hesitant vibe of a lager that had wandered into the wrong genre and was too polite to leave. Whatever pale ale identity it was meant to claim never arrived. The mouthfeel was so slight it felt like the ghost of a drink rather than the drink itself.

And so the disappointment grew, not because the beer was terrible, but because it was so astonishingly unremarkable. You can drink it and not be offended, but that is hardly a victory. It is the kind of beer that leaves no trace, no memory, no moment worth retelling except the lesson it quietly teaches. A reminder that expectation is a dangerous companion. Build something up too high and the fall becomes the only thing you feel.

Sammy’s Rating: 33%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

After last week’s bad blue label offering from Star, here we are again. Though this week it is nowhere near as bad, it still does not look too good I’m afraid.

Packaging is important. It leads the way for a brew. Represents it on the shelves. Creates intrigue or ambivalence. But, ultimately if a beer is incredible, the way it is presented doesn’t really matter… maybe… blimey, I could actually go on for hours about this!

Look, HPA is fairly nice, alright, inoffensive… but not much more than that for me I’m afraid. It’s a brew that comes with a good rep for sure and certainly from a great brewery. But it just didn’t quite deliver for MOB Jymi.

With a tangerine and lemon nose leading the way and also a crisp and refreshing nature to her in the sip, I genuinely thought we could be onto a winner with this brew. But ultimately it did just kinda pale into insignificance.

Jymi’s Rating: 51%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 42%

MOB review next weekend: SNAPSHOT by DURATION

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

STAR

BEER REVIEW: 453

BREWER: Nigerian Breweries, Southwest Region, Nigeria

STYLE: Lager 

ABV: 5.1%

VESSEL: 600ml green bottle

DATE OF POST: 12th June 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Afternoon all,
Here are some positive notes regarding the Nigerian Lager we have up for review this week…
Firstly the embossed stars protruding out from the green glass bottle are fantastic and a lovely touch.
Next, the nose coming from Star. It’s incredible! Well, its actually not, as has that weed like smell that used to come from Stella. But, I for one just love it when a lager smells like this. And this is a dialled up version of such a scent.
The next positive we have is the taste in mouth. It’s crisp, it’s flavoursome, it’s refreshing.
Now, here are some negatives…
The overall packaging is nothing short of shocking. A blue metallic foil label on a green bottle??? What were they thinking?!
The other negative, that unfortunately ultimately kills this beer, is it’s texture and taste in swallow. It’s very very thin and as good as the flavour is in sip, it all but vanishes once down thee ‘atch.
Overall all this beer ain’t great. In saying that I can see how it could go down well for the Lagosian locals sipping in the West African sun.

Jymi’s Rating: 41%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

I popped the lid on my bottle of Star with the faint hope that Nigeria’s self‑proclaimed “foremost lager” might surprise me. I wanted to believe the reputation, the history, the decades of being the country’s go‑to beer might count for something. But the moment the bottle hit the table, I felt that sigh rising. There’s effort in the design, you can tell that much, but it’s the wrong kind of effort.  The label’s busy and cluttered, there’s icons everywhere, like someone tried to shout “premium” in twelve different fonts and none of them really work. It’s the kind of label that makes you look away before you’ve even taken a sip.
The aroma is exactly what you’d expect from a classic macro‑lager: sweet malt, a touch of grain, nothing offensive, nothing exciting. Just that familiar lager smell you’ve encountered a hundred times before in hotter climates, where the beer’s job is simply to be cold and wet. And to be fair, Star does that job. It’s drinkable. It won’t fight you.
The flavour leans sweet, noticeably so in my opinion.  There is a little flicker of saltiness in the middle before the sweetness circles back for another go. It’s not unpleasant, just a bit predictable, like a tune you’ve heard too many times on a long bus ride. There’s no crisp snap, no bitterness to tidy things up, no moment where you think, ah, there it is. It just ambles along, doing its best, never quite finding a gear beyond “acceptable.”
And that’s the thing. Star isn’t terrible. You can drink it without complaint. In the heat of Lagos or Abuja, ice‑cold from a bar fridge that’s doing its best against the humidity, it probably makes more sense. But here, away from the context that gives it life, it feels like a beer that could have been more, perhaps should have been more, but settled somewhere short of the mark.
A small sigh, then. Not disappointment, exactly. Just resignation. Star is fine. And sometimes fine is all it’s ever going to be.

Sammy’s Rating: 41%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 41%

MOB review next weekend: HPA by WYE VALLEY BREWERY

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M O B 2026

STINKY BAY SESSION IPA

BEER REVIEW: 452

BREWER: Stinky Bay Brewing Co, St Lawrence, Jersey

STYLE: Session IPA

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 5th June 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Pouring quite dark and having the flavour of slight toffee and malts, Stinky Bay’s Session IPA does not present as such.

Is that a problem?

Well, yes and no…

See, if you buy something that is labelled as a session IPA, you kind of expect an orange colour in pour and crisp citrus drinking. If you had bought a flat of this hosting a BBQ on a scorching hot blue sky day, I think that you and your guests might be a little perturbed. That crisp citrus drinking would be wanted yet not delivered you see.

However, if you forget the session IPA label and take the beer for what it is, it is quite nice. The toffee tones are tasty and the malty backbone holds things together nicely enough.

So in conclusion, an decent enough brew for sure, but not really the session like IPA we have come to expect since the advent of this oxymoron of a beer style.

Jymi’s Rating: 64%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Stinky Bay IPA arrives with a name that immediately raises an eyebrow and a smile. It leans into its coastal roots with a wink, the kind of branding that knows exactly what it’s doing. The can art helps sell the joke: sea‑spray colours, shoreline graphics, and a sense that this beer has spent its life somewhere breezy, salty, and a little mischievous. Even before you crack it open, it feels like it’s telling you not to take things too seriously.
Pour it into a glass and the colour is a pleasant surprise. A deep amber glow, richer than many session IPAs, catching the light like late‑afternoon sun on wet sand. Then comes the aroma; not fishy, thankfully, but not exactly a bouquet of roses either. It sits somewhere in between: sweet grapefruit, a grassy edge, and a faint coastal sharpness that gives it character without tipping into anything off‑putting. It’s the kind of nose that makes you think of sea air drifting through citrus groves, slightly wild but oddly inviting.
The flavour follows through with a similar sense of balance. There’s a sweet caramel backbone that gives the beer more body than you expect, followed by a gentle citrus lift and a burnt‑caramel finish that lingers just long enough to make you appreciate it. It’s not trying to be a crowd‑pleaser in the conventional sense. Instead, it leans into its quirks; a session IPA with a point of difference, something that stands apart from the endless parade of hazy, tropical clones.
There’s also something quietly admirable about the brewery’s ethos. A portion of profits goes to good causes, which adds a layer of warmth to the experience. It’s a small gesture, but it fits the beer’s personality: slightly rough around the edges, but with a good heart underneath.
Stinky Bay IPA won’t be for everyone. It has a distinctive profile that some drinkers will love and others will politely sidestep. But that’s part of its charm. It doesn’t come up smelling of roses, and it doesn’t pretend to. Instead, it brings a coastal swagger, a bit of sweetness, a bit of grit, and a flavour that feels like it belongs to a place rather than a trend. For those who enjoy something a little different, it’s a beer with a story worth sipping.

Sammy’s Rating: 67%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 65.5%

MOB review next weekend: STAR by NIGERIAN BREWERIES

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M O B 2026

HERM GOLD

BEER REVIEW: 451

BREWER: Liberation Brewing Co, St Saviour, Jersey

STYLE: Blonde

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 29th May 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Not long ago did I take a trip to Jersey so…

…early temptations to make this review a limerick have already evaporated!

So, me and my sister headed over to the southernmost Channel Island about a month ago. The reason? We’ve got family history there but had never actually set foot on the place. Felt overdue.

To summarise the trip… lighthouse, seafood, wine, beer, seafood, long hunt for great-grandfather’s grave, handbrake turn, seafood, wine, beer, handbrake turn, met long lost cousin, beer, seafood, wine, wine, wine… and mild disappointment at discovering we were not, in fact, heirs to a tomato empire.

ANYWAY…

Naturally, while I was there I picked up a couple local brews for me and me boi Sammy to test (another Jersey beer coming next week folks).

Fast forward to test day. I went into this one with a touch of ambivalence… but I’ll say it straight: it’s fantastic!

Herm Gold opens with a fantastically zesty lemon nose (yes, “fantastically” is now official beer review English). The citrus isn’t overpowering, but it carries through nicely into the drinking, and let me tell you, the drinking is good. Proper good.

It’s crisp, smooth, and just an absolute joy from start to finish. There’s a perfectly judged medium bitterness rounding things off, followed by a soft but lingering aftertaste that keeps you coming back for another sip.

Just delightful.

On a side note, the island of Herm has always held a bit of mystique for me. Still haven’t visited. It sits just off the NW coast of Jersey, a real wee boi of an island—about 1.5 miles north to south and half a mile across. Best part? No cars. Just tractors and quads for essential business.

And the reason I mention it here, Liberation make a point of representing all of the Channel Islands, not just Jersey. Fair play to them for that. Especially considering that in May 1945, all the islands were liberated from Nazi occupation.

Jymi’s Rating: 85%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

The first thing that struck me about Herm Gold was how much the beer mirrors the island’s (Herm’s) landscape. The aroma rises gently, grassy and floral, like walking through the meadows above beaches when the wind carries the scent of wildflowers across the path. There’s a springlike freshness to it, a sense of new growth and open space, the kind of nose that makes you breathe a little deeper without realising.
A good fizz greets you on the first sip, bright and lively, the way the sea breaks against the rocks. The flavour is crisp and refreshing, clean in a way that suits an island where everything feels stripped back to essentials. There’s a hint of sherbet lemon tucked into the taste, a little spark of citrus that lifts the whole experience, followed by a gentle bitter‑butter finish that lingers just long enough to make you want another mouthful. It’s the kind of beer that fits perfectly after a long walk along the coastal paths, sun on your shoulders, sea birds tracing lazy arcs overhead.
What surprised me most was how effortlessly drinkable it is. Some beers fight for your attention; Herm Gold just settles in beside you, confident in its simplicity. It’s refreshing without being thin, characterful without being heavy, and it carries a quiet charm that feels very much in tune with the island itself. You could happily spend an afternoon with a few of these, watching the tide shift and the light change on the water.
Herm is a place that rewards slowing down, and Herm Gold feels brewed with that same philosophy. A bit of a belter, really.  It’s the kind of beer that tastes best when you’ve earned it by wandering somewhere beautiful.

Sammy’s Rating: 87%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 86%

MOB review next weekend: SESSION IPA by STINKY BAY BREWING CO

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

SMOG RAT

BEER REVIEW: 450

BREWER: Ossett Brewery, West Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Double NEIPA

ABV: 8.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 22nd May 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

The night it walked into my glass, the city was drowning in haze. Not the kind that rolls in from the docks, but the thick, golden kind that catches the light and makes you think something good might finally be about to happen. They called it Smog Rat; a double New England IPA with a reputation for slipping through shadows and leaving a trail of tropical perfume behind. I liked the name. Had a certain grit to it. But the rat on the can? Let’s just say I’ve seen alleyway sketches with more charm. Shame, really. The colours were good. The font had swagger. But that rodent… it looked like it had been drawn by someone who’d never met a rat and didn’t want to.
Still, I poured it. And in the glass, it looked like a dream trying to remember itself. Straw‑golden, hazy as a back‑alley poker room, the kind of haze that tells you the story’s only just getting started. The nose came first; pineapple, mango, the sweet tropical notes of a far‑off place where trouble tastes like fruit and the nights never end. It was the kind of aroma that makes you think the beer’s about to take you somewhere.
The first sip was smooth, rounded, almost soft. Mango and pineapple again, walking arm‑in‑arm like two crooks who know the streets better than you ever will. It was good. Better than good, even. But as the story unfolded, I realised it only had one chapter. No twist. No sharp turn. No bitter sting in the tail to pull the whole thing together. A little more bite and it might’ve been a classic. But more bitterness would’ve broken that velvet mouthfeel, and maybe that was the trade‑off. Every noir has its compromise.
I liked the tagline, “the latest haze.” It fit. Smog Rat felt like a character who could’ve been something big, something bold, something the city whispered about long after closing time. Instead, it settled for being a decent player in a crowded cast. A good beer, a likeable rogue, but one that never quite steps out of the fog to become the legend it hints at.
In another life, maybe it would’ve reached those promised heights. But in this one, it’s just a hazy figure disappearing into the night, leaving you wondering what might’ve been.

Sammy’s Rating: 72%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Three Rats are chilling out shootin’ the sh*t…

Rat one says, you know what, I’m a pretty tough guy. You see that poison they lay out for us, well, I gather it up into a line and just waff it up my nose.

Rat two says, yeah that’s pretty tough, but I’m pretty tough too. You know those traps they leave out for us, well, I use those for my daily bench press work out.

Rat three leans back in his rodent deckchair, agrees that that is indeed pretty tough, throws back a shot of bourbon, gets up and walks off.
Where ya goin’?  the other two ask…

Upstairs to f*ck the cat, Rat three replies.

Smog Rat is defo Rat three and the strongest in the Rat range from Ossett.
It’s also a clever name, what with a NEIPAs natural look in glass being hazy.

And it’s ALSO a really good brew!

Not complex necessarily, but does plenty… let’s unpick.

A citrus yet dank aroma leads the way, not spectacular, but decent enough.

Early sip is also citrus and dank but does pique your interest especially as in the mid sip it instantly smooths and softens out, followed by tropical taste in swallow with tiny notes of white grape. There is then a medium to high bitterness to round things off. Again, not complex, but certainly a journey.

As you move through this hazy ol’ rat all the above start to overlap which I do understand, but is ultimately to the detriment of the brew. Though without doubt remaining in the very good bracket, it’s probably because of this that it doesn’t reach excellence.

Without doubt worth a go though and currently only a tickle over £4 in Tesco. Which for an 8.4% very good beer, is a *bloomin’ barg’ bruv’!

 

*please don’t forget your local bottle shop though! Supermarkets for fridge fillers yes, and the odd bargain like Smoggers here. But most of the real bangers lie where you need to go a lookin’ x

Jymi’s Rating: 78%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75%

MOB review next weekend: HERM GOLD by LIBERATION BREWING CO

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

CARIB

BEER REVIEW: 449

BREWER: Carib Brewery, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

STYLE: Lager

ABV: 5%

VESSEL: 330ml clear bottle

DATE OF POST: 15th May 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Carib is one of those beers that instantly makes you think of heat, colour, and the kind of easygoing rhythm that only the Caribbean seems able to produce. Brewed in Trinidad and Tobago, it’s built for sunshine, a light, crisp lager designed to cool you down rather than challenge your palate. The aroma is classic lager territory: gentle malt, a touch of sweetness, nothing showy, just that familiar scent you get when someone cracks open a cold bottle on a warm day.
The flavour follows the same path. It’s straightforward, clean, and uncomplicated, the kind of taste that doesn’t demand attention but happily keeps you company. There’s a soft graininess, a little fizz, and a finish that slips away quickly, almost as if the beer knows you’re really here for the moment rather than the complexity. It’s easy to imagine it tasting better the hotter the day gets.  It’s the sort of beer that feels perfectly matched to turquoise water, sun‑bleached wood, and the slow sway of palm trees.
Carib’s branding leans into that identity. Bright Caribbean colours, sunshine‑yellow accents, and a bottle that looks like it belongs in a beach cooler rather than a fridge at home. Even the name feels right, short, sunny, and instantly evocative of where it comes from. It’s a beer with a sense of place baked into it.
Drinking it in England, though, you can feel the distance. Without the heat, the sea breeze, or the soundtrack of island life, it becomes a perfectly serviceable lager.  It’s refreshing enough, pleasant enough, but missing the magic that its home environment gives it. You can tell it would taste a million dollars on a Caribbean beach, but here, on a cooler day far from the tropics, it settles into being a bang‑average lager with a warm soul waiting for the right setting to shine.

Sammy’s Rating: 44%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

We’ve been here before, Sammy boi and I. On the 28th March 2004 to be precise. We settled down to test this Caribbean brew full of excitement and youth. This was our original dip into testing and reviewing beers with the dream of one day writing THE BOOK OF BEERS! Unfortunately, we literally had no clue what we were on about back then, whereas today… ok, moving on.

My notes 22 years ago stated that Carib would ‘slip down lovely on a hot summers day’ and I stand by that statement. But does that actually make it a good beer?

Well, not really no.

Carib, while perfectly acceptable and drinkable is also totally forgettable. It is basically just a run of the mill, slightly sweet and slightly limey 5% lager. The quick to fade taste in sip did it no favours either when it came to notching up points under review.

BUT, as mentioned, on a scorching hot summers day it would go down pretty well to be fair to it.

Jymi’s Rating: 48%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 46%

MOB review next weekend: SMOG RAT by OSSETT BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

MEAN AS

BEER REVIEW: 448

BREWER: St Ives Brewery, Cornwall, England

STYLE: NZ IPA

ABV: 6%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 8th May 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Mean As sets you up beautifully before you’ve even cracked the can. The name growls with attitude, all sharp elbows and swagger, but the can itself is pure hippy sunshine. Bright colours, soft vibes, peace‑and‑love energy. The contrast is brilliant. You look at it and think, “Alright then, what are you going to be?” It’s the kind of juxtaposition that makes you genuinely excited for the first sip.
The nose keeps that optimism alive. There’s citrus, clean and bright, with a little basil tucked in behind it. Contained, yes, but promising enough to make you lean in. It hints at something lively, something with a bit of personality waiting to break through.
Then the drinking begins, and the beer reveals itself more quietly than expected. The flavours are subtle, orange and fig drifting in gently, giving way to a faint basil note. It’s decent, even pleasant, but it never quite rises to the boldness suggested by its name or the playful confidence of its packaging. You keep waiting for the “mean” to show up, or at least a bit of swagger, but the beer stays soft‑spoken.
There’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, there’s a calm charm to the whole experience. But the contrast between what the can promises and what the beer delivers is impossible to ignore. It’s a beer that looks like it’s going to shout but ends up speaking politely.
At fifty‑seven percent, Mean As lands in that space where expectation and reality shake hands awkwardly. A solid enough drink, wrapped in a brilliant concept, but ultimately more mellow than mean.

Sammy’s Rating: 57%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

It had been a rough week at work but suddenly it was Friday afternoon, the sun was shining and I somehow managed to land myself a half day… Jumped in the car, slammed on the gas (is it still called a gas pedal in an electric car?).

54 mins later I screeched into the drive of MOB HQ knowing what was waiting for me… MEAN AS. I had been particularly looking forward to reviewing this brew. Why? Well, the tin art is fantastic AND with the trio of hops used (Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Motueka) I just knew Mean As was going to be a cracker… but I was wrong.

This beer does not come across at all like a NZ IPA. I was taken aback, confused, confuzzled.

After the pre drink excitement and rush home from work I really didn’t need this. All I wanted to do, and thought all I would have to do, is sit back and enjoy Mean As, writing a review going something like… Bloomin’ good brew this. But no, suddenly I had to think. Gad damn it!

Ok, MA comes across a touch sharp and almost a little sour in flavour. Not at all unpleasant but certainly not what I was expecting. There should have been an insanely drinkable smoothness here, but there was not. Yes, there is some citrus in the sip with pokes of fennel knocking around but nothing was exploding.

I just think at this ABV with the hops used Mean As should have been a whole lot better.

Bad beer? Definitely not.

Disappointment? Definitely.

Bit of a fail ultimately? Kinda is yeah.

Jymi’s Rating: 64%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 60.5%

MOB review next weekend: CARIB by CARIB BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2026

COSMIC DROP : BERRY PUNCH

BEER REVIEW: 447

BREWER: Beavertown, North London, England

STYLE: Fruit Beer

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 330ml tin

DATE OF POST: 1st May 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

This is a dreadful beer / sweet and weak alcoholic berry squash.

Wasn’t worthy of the crackin’ lil squat Beavertown glass I procured when Beavertown were still Beavertown.

And isn’t worthy of any more words.

Jymi’s Rating: 14%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Absolutely awful.
The artificial flavour is cloying, sweet and has no respite or redemption at all.  This beer is damaging the fruit beer genre.  It’s the kind of brew that gives beer a bad name.
Aimed at the mass market, it’s a travesty to beers.
Want my advice?  Avoid at all costs.  If this was the only beer available, I wouldn’t be drinking beer.  Now that’s saying something.

Sammy’s Rating: 15%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 14.5%

MOB review next weekend: MEAN AS by ST IVES BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

Bluesky: @museonbooze.bsky.social

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M O B 2026

SURREY NIRVANA

BEER REVIEW: 446

BREWER: Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey, England

STYLE: Session IPA

ABV: 4%

VESSEL: 500ml brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 24th April 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Coming at me with a name like this I thought was just unfair…

I’m a Middlesex Cricket fan therefore anything Surrey is just off limits… other than the village of Shere, Box Hill, Dorking, the Surrey Hills, Godalming, the Winkworth Arboretum and the mighty Chiddingfold.

I’m also a huge Nirvana fan (band, but yeah also the highest spiritual state one can be).

Also, coming at me with such a bland bottle design yet with a beautiful… pig, and then a clashing generic Hogs Back Brewery orange bottle top, put me in a fuzz / fizz.

I had to calm myself pre open, pour and sip.

Ok, this is one of those beers that hasn’t registered points in too many categories but is actually a really nice brew.

And from here I’m going to switch to live notes as feel it probably best represents:

Touch fruity. Touch citrus. Touch dry in finish.

Plenty of depth for a 4%er.

Would be great for a session TBF!

Surrey Nirvana, though nothing to get overly excited about is certainly worthy of a place in your beer stable for the right occasion.

Jymi’s Rating: 67%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Surrey Nirvana doesn’t arrive with fireworks or fanfare, but it doesn’t need to. It opens with a gentle hint of orange on the nose, a small but pleasant surprise that sets the tone. Nothing showy, nothing over‑the‑top, just a clean, citrus lift that feels honest.
That orange carries through into the drinking, soft and steady. As the sip settles, a subtle bitterness begins to build, growing more noticeable as you move through the glass. It never overwhelms, instead giving the beer a bit of backbone and keeping things refreshingly balanced. The overall impression is one of bitter orange, simple, tidy, and actually very pleasant.
The mouthfeel is straightforward, doing its job without fuss. The packaging is solid, the name fits neatly, and the whole thing feels like a beer that knows exactly what it is: a dependable session option that won’t let you down.
It’s not revolutionary, but it isn’t trying to be. It’s the kind of pint you could return to without hesitation, the sort of beer that quietly earns your respect rather than demanding it.

Sammy’s Rating: 67%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 67%

MOB review next weekend: COSMIC DROP : BERRY PUNCH by BEAVERTOWN

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

Bluesky: @museonbooze.bsky.social

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M O B 2026